I have a farm, and an ongoing need for a mid- to full-size pickup. I currently have a 1972 Ford F100. I dislike the layout of the dash (when I’m belted in, I can’t reach the heater controls, for example), and it is quite inadequate for carrying a full ton of feed. I am looking for
- something newer (95-99 or so)
- with traction control, so I can drive on our muddy winter pasture without getting stuck
- extended cab to haul four on half-hour trips
- payload 3/4 ton or better
- mileage better than 10 mpg
I am considering the Toyota T100/Tacoma, Dodge Dakota or Ford Ranger, and possibly the F150 (although it seems pretty big). My budget is up to $10K.
Does a limited slip differential improve driveability on marginal surfaces enough that it is worth waiting for, in addition to 4WD?
Any suggestions of other models I should consider would be of help. The research tools I used last spring on cars.com don’t seem to be working anymore.
Thank you,
Karen Black
on the wet side of Oregon
If you want to carry a ton, I would stay awy from the Ford Ranger, a good machine, but a little too light for you.
You best bet is another full size pickup truck, beefed up to a “Heavy Half”. Many of these were built as tow vehicles for folks with large campers or 5th wheel traliers. Almost anything you buy will have better gas mileage than your present machine.
Today’s trucks have larger cabs, even when they have the same 1/2 ton nominal carrying capacity. Since the Ford F150 is the largest sellling vehicle in the US there should be many around. 4 wheel drive will use more gas and have higher maintenance costs. Positraction adds a great deal of traction, I had it on my Caprice, but keep in mind to change the fluid every 10,000 miles or you will have expensive reapirs.
You probably need an F250 or F350, or Chev/Dodge equivalent. I got an 02 F350 Crew 2WD V10 for about $20K, 48K miles. You may be able to get an extended cab for around $14K, maybe less. My V10 gas engine gets 15 mpg not fully loaded and about 9 mpg hauling a four horse trailer on trips. 4WD goes higher, or if you can find a well maintained one with more miles, you might get to your $10K threshold. West coast prices seem to be higher than midwest ones. Be patient if you can. Widen your search area if you can.
My father in law got his F250 in Dallas and was able to get a good enough deal to pay for the one way ticket from Denver to Dallas to pick it up, since Colorado prices are generally high. Good luck in your search.
I live in Roseburg and have a '72 F-100 4x4… how much do you want for that rig?
The ‘Research’ link on here is working. Click on ‘research’ above in the blue section and you’re away.
I’m not sure where the 1/2 ton, 3/4 ton, and 1 ton rating of pickup trucks came from. It should be noted that a half ton truck will haul a load of considerably more than 1000 LBS. I once loaded a 3/4 ton, F-250 with so much wet sand that it tipped the scales at just over 14,000 LBS. That was probably pretty close to 10,000 LBS of sand. I’m not suggesting that one should be loaded that heavily, but it was, and it walked right off with the load. When I was a kid on the farm we routinely loaded 3/4 ton pickups with 75 bushels of wheat. That’s 4500 LBS at 60 LBS/bushel.
A limited slip differential does not improve drivability on icey or slick roads. In fact IMHO it may even make it worse. I had one on a family car years ago. It tended to grab on one side and then the other as the differential locked and unlocked. I didn’t like it. If you are feeding in the back pasture a lot, you really need 4WD. You are one of the few who really do.
If you want gas mileage, don’t get limited slip. It should make steering more difficult too. Some tall mud tires may help for the traction, and for mud, wider ones. A 3/4 ton Ford should do the job well.
I would suggest finding a used diesel truck, possibly a dually, for your needs. it’ll get cramped in a ranger since they don’t offer the 4dr version in the states.
I would look at a dodge diesel or ford both good engines I like fords for towing and weight they track better. and with diesel you get 10 mgp
and you will better torque power when going slow in the mud. just keep up the fluid change. you have get adative to coat inside cyl walls and
to realy check the ware on the internal ware take a cup of used oil and send it to a lab and they can tell you the condition of engine. big truck company do this and bus companys also. theycna tell you how to get this test done.treat a diesel right and you can 500,000 miles from it my boss has 1993 dodge with 586.000 miles and just traded in for a new 2500 dodge diesel . also I think if you buy diesel for a farm isn,t the
road tax taken of the price. you should have large tank on the farm hold your fuel.